Serenissima is located at 845 Longboat Club Road behind the gates of The Resort at the Longboat Key Club.

The six- bedroom mansion is listed for $26.5 million, a record listing price for Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties.

When walking up the steps of Serenissima, it’s hard not to imagine walking into a Venetian castle. Open the front doors, and the grand foyer exudes the same elegance.

The dining room to the left, with gold accents, features a mural of the Grand Canal in Venice. Beyond the foyer, a leisure room boasts inviting couches and a view of the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

This is the scene area real estate agents dined against on April 20 during a private Italian-inspired lunch hosted by Michael Saunders & Company at the 35,200 square-foot mansion on Longboat Key.

Serenissima, which means “most serene” in Italian, is an ode to the renaissance of Venice. The mansion features six bedrooms, six full and two half bathrooms, direct beachfront access, a master chef’s kitchen, home theater and ten-car garage.

Michael Moulton of Michael Saunders & Company is the listing agent and broker-associate for the property. The property is listed at $26.5 million.

During the lunch, Stephanie Anton, the executive vice president of Luxury Portfolio International shared her thoughts on affluent buyers in today’s market and Michael Saunders, founder and CEO of Michael Saunders & Company, gave a local and regional luxury market update.